Union suit.



J, R. SHE'FFER'. UNION SUIT. APPLICM'IOH FILED MAR. 9; 1914. r1,138,899. Pat nted May 11, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I f 1/ v f f 646/?! f JOSEPH R. SHEFFER, 0F CLIICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UNION SUIT.

Application filed March 9, 191

To all 102207771 it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH It. SHnrrEn, citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Union Suits; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to combination undergarments or so-called unionsuits and more particularly to garments of this class cut from knittedmaterials and suitable for mens and children's wear.

Among the objects of my invention are that of providing a combinationgarment which may be quickly and cheaply constructed of relatively fewpieces; which will require only a single and conveniently located buttonfor fastening the drop flap; which will afford a maximum of only twothicknesses of fabric at the seat; and in which the rear of the bodyportion will coact with the flap in affording the required opening whenthe flap is lowered.

Other objects are to provide a flap construction which will normallyafford expansibility in a substantially horizontal direction at thewaist and in a substantially vertical direction at the crotch, and whichwill afford expansibility in a direction diagonal to the horizontal whenthe flap is lowered.

A. further object is to provide a flap in which the desired elasticityand expansibility may be obtained in two or more of the said directionsby a suitable disposition of the wales of the fabric.

Still another object is to provide a union suit equipped with a flapdetachable from the body of the garment at only one of its lateral edgesand folding back along a line reaching substantially from one uppercorner of the flap to a point adjacent to the hip joint of the wearer atthe opposite edge of the flap.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a rear view of an undei'zarment embodyingmy invention. Fig. 2 is a view of the flap portion of the same. Fig. 3shows the component parts of the flap-of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a fragmentaryview of the pattern for the body portion of the union suit of Fig. 1.Fig. 5 shows an alternative form of flap.

In the embodiment of the drawings, the

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented May 11, 1915..

Serial No. 823,481.

combination undergarment of my invention consists essentially of twoportions, namely a body member 1, which may be equipped with sleeves 2of any suitable length, and a substantially hexagonal flap member 3 secured along four of its sides to the said body member. In manufacturingthe main member of such a garment-from tubular knit goods the verticalopening for the front of the garment is out after the usual fashion, andsubstantially triangular or wedgeshaped pieces are cut out of thetubular fabric intermediate of the said front opening, so as to afford asubstantially keystoneshaped openingv 5 as shown in Fig. 5. The saidopening 5 is preferably slightly narrower in extreme width than thesubstantially hexagonal flap 3, which flap preferably has its lower endarched or curved as shown in Fig. 2. When the flap member is secured tothe body member of the garment, as shown in Fig. 1, by lines ofstitching following the edges 6, 7, 8 and 9 of the said the uppercorner, adjacent to its loose side,

12 with a button-hole 11 whereby itmay be fastened to a button 13secured to the body member of the garment near the waist line thereof.It will be evident from Figs. 1 and 2, that by thus disposing the lowedge 8 of the hexagonal flap member substantially along the inner edgesof the leg members of the garment, the adjacent edges 7 and 9 of thesubstantially hexagonal flap member will be drawn toward each other,thereby affording the desired fullness at the seat portion of thegarment. It will also be evi dent that by loosening the free up ercorner of the flap member at the button ll), the adjacent corner portionof the flap may be dropped back as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, soas to afford an opening at the back of the garment. To make this openingmore effective, the back of the body portion of the garment whichdepends within the said flap is preferably cut away diagonally as shownat let in Fig. 1, or along a line substantially parallel to the diagonalline 15 about which the said flap is folded when dropped. By thrsdiagonally shortening the depending inner portion of the body member atthe side oppositethc open edge 12 of the flap, I am able to produce alarger effective opening when. the flap is lowered, while stillaltordinr an effective closure when the [lap is in its normal positionand am also able to provide the maxin'mm posterior opening at thepointvvhere it is most needed, viz. a point above the crotch andsubstantially in, horizontal alinement with the hip joint of the wearer.

In order to afford real comfort to the wearer, it is desirable toprovide elasticity and exyansihility in three different directions atdit'fcrent portions of the flap member of a garment of this class. Thin,at the upper edge of the flap or substantially the waist line of thegarn'ient), it is desirable to have expansibility in a horizontaldirection so that the upper edge of the flap will expandsin'lultaneously with the adjacent portions of the back of the bodymember in adjusting themselves to the contour of the wearer. upon thegarment when the wearer seats himself tend. to extend the lower orcrotch portion of the iia member in. a direction at right angles to thatjust described, that ]S to say, substantially vertical ol the flapmemher. Then, when the flap is lowered, the stretching required forreadily affording the desired opening will demand an expansionsubstantially along the line 15, or at a. diagonal with the horizontalalong a line ex tending from one upper corner of the liap member to apoint at the other side of the flap in proximity to the hip joint of thewearer of the garment. I preferably provide for the desired expansionand elasticity in the said three directions by making the flap member 3of two portions adjoined substantially along the central vertical lineof the said (lap member, the edges 17 thus adjoined being curved in thepattern from which. they are cut, as shown in Fig. 3, and the walesot'the l abric lorming the said portions being so disposiul that thesaid wales will b substantially continuous and horizontal at the crotchportion of the said com posite flap. It will be evident from thedrawings that the cmrvature ot' the said adjoined edges will readilyenable the flap to conform better to the curvature of the por tion oi.-the figure covered by the llap, and that the said disposition of thewales of the fabric in the sul'istantially arcuate members comprisingthe flap will wuse the wale to be approximately vertical, at the upperedges of the flap, and diagonai at points intermediate between the saidupper edge and the crotch portion oi. the flap member. (lousequently, lam enabled to provide the desired elasticity in all three of the al'csaid directions Without introducing a mim osite weave On the otherhand, the strains into the flap member. Moreover, the pointing of theadjoined lower tips of the flap portions will coiiperate with theconcavity of the ad joined edges of the said portions to enable the saidtips to be brought past the crotch and part way up the front of thegarment in assembling the latter, thereby avoiding the unpleasantrigidity of a seam at the crotch and also permitting expansibility alonga line reaching from the upper permanently secured corner of the flapdown ough the crotch and part Way up the front of the garment. However,I do not wish tobe limited to this particular means of providing therequired eigpansibility, as the same might be varied by equipping the upper end ol the ilap member with a Weave 16 having wales in a verticaldirection, the said portion ltlbeing woven with an elastic ribbing.Likewise, the desired elasticity may be secured in avertical. directionat the crotch portion of the flap by making this portion of a gusset 18in which the wales run horizontally, or substantially at right angles tothe wales of the upper portions of the flap, as shown in Fig. 4. Besidesenabling the tips of the adjoined llap portions to be secured to thefront of the garment considerably above the crotch thereof, theconcavity of the adjoined edges of the said portions also causes thejuncture thereof to be thrown forwardly of the garment, thereby enablingthe said tlap portions to a tlord a convexity mnforining to the portionsof the body covered thereby. The rear oi the gar mcnt therefore tits thebody snugly, while the avoiding of all slots or lateral openings in theleg portions ol the garment prevents the gapping common in the unionsuits heretoloro in use, or the correspmiding discomlort oi the flapsneeded for covering such slittcd leg portions.

\Vhile l: have shown and described the body portion of my union suit ascut from tubular knit fabric, it will be evident that the same could befashioned in the knitting. It will also be evident that the variousdetails of the constructimi herein shown and described may be varied inmany ways withoutdepiu'ting from the spirit of my invention, hence i donot wish to be limited to the precise cn'ibodiment herein disclosed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A union suit comprising a. main room her having a poste'ior openingextending through the crotch portion and into opposed parts of the legportions; and a flap member normally closing said opening up to a linereaching from below the belt line at one side ol? the back of the weareroi the garment to a point proximate to the hip joint at the other sidethereof, the back oi the main member tern'iinating below andsubstantially parallel to said line and he clasticity of the flap memberso disposed as to 'i an 'to. the upper end oi folded. back along thesaid line.

mes

afiord, 2i tisily along sa d line.

5:. Ins of woven ing' a pose; rior opening, 5. lie said opening, the itegrsl with 4 portion of the germeni; and perfeseezied along the wholeof one of its in" err-.11 edges slang the other latr e 1m 30 :1 pointabove the crotch, presenting a side opening exendingr from the saidpoin" io she upper encl 1e lust missed fi lers edge and (lemcha- Mysecured to the garmentat is said upper or said. i'ne weave of the saidflap 'irliii a zrmxirmim expansioility subv along :1 line reaching fromthe d point on one lateral edige of she flap the said. permanentlyfastened lateral edge, thereby enabling said flap to stretch along saidline to afford. the required arterial hav for closing Sill posrerioropening when. the lisp 1s A combination undcrgzn'ment comprising: a.main odyenrhleg xiieiriber provided with n posterior opening extendingthrough the croich 21ml doivmvurdly into opposing certs of the leg;portions thereof, and a flap member extending 'l'roni the from; of thegarment through the crotch and over she back portion il ereol andcomprising two equal aris joined together by :1 seem extending midwaythrough the crotch and up the middle of the heck, the wales of r gidlisp member diverging from said seem at angles irrmlunlly inercesirigfrom she upper Gilli portion of said flap member at the heck ol thegm'nieni through said crotch, whereby llllB said (lispositior: of tl1ewales renders-said ilop member most elnstie to s zruins acting in a.(lircciion substantially transverse "so said. seem at the upper portieeof said liar) and substantially parallel with said seem in erotcllPQi'ulGR of she flap inciiilier.

A co: ibination under-garment comprising a main member equipped willns). @09- eerior ope ing, and a flap member secured in the garmenr endnormally closing the said opening, the said flap member comprismssimumexpensibility substaning a pair of substantially srcualze portionssecured to each other along rheir concave edges, the juncture of thesaid portions disosed subsantially vertically of the garment,the-concavity of the cave edges, the juncture of the said. 1301 tionsdisposed substantially vertically oi the garment, the concavity of thesaid adjoinecl edges causing the said juncfi'ure to e drawn forwardly ofthe gmi'mem; when she. latter is in use, the said arcuzite portionsequipped at the lower end of their said concave edges with relativelypointed tips, the Saki tips ex eemling through the crotch and up thefrom; of the garment.

6. A combination imclergermerlt compris ing a 1ll2\.l1'l lll8lllbl'equipped with s pesterior opening, and a lisp member secured to thegarment and manually closing the said. opening, the said flap membere0mpr1sing a pair of laterally adjoinecl portions having the walesthereof extending at Cli Ycrgent angles from the juncture thereof thesaid port-ions equipped at the lower eecl of their juncture withrelatively point-ed ti 5 extending through the crosch flfldup i; e frontof the garment, the said disposition or the wales affording a maximum ofextensibility or" the flap along a line reaching from one of the saidtips to an extreme upper corner of the flap member.

in testimony wliereor I have signed my name in presence of twosubsoieing witnesses. l w

JOSEPH R. SHEFFEE,

Witnesses ALBERT Scrrmsss, M M. BOYLE.

said adjoineil

